Good morning! Here's a little something to chew on...
Does anyone eat oatmeal for breakfast? That's great if you do!
Would you like a super easy warm weather idea (or cold, too)? Muesli (Bob's Red Mill Muesli is my favorite) with a little non-dairy milk like soy, rice, almond or hemp milk is really quick. (Remember to chew well.) It's also a great travel breakfast. I do find that it has a lot of raisins (too sweet for me), so I pick most of them out -- just saying.
Below is an easy recipe from my Life In Balance (plant-based) cookbook called simply, "Amaranth & Apricots" and it's a warm cereal. Amaranth is one of the grains highest in protein. This is one of the first that I tried on a plant-based diet. I had never even heard of it before!
Another quick breakfast is creamy polenta. It takes all of five minutes to cook. It makes me happy just to look at this yellow package. This can be topped with blueberries or some other berry for sweetness, or sprinkled with a few sunflower seeds for a savory breakfast, or both.
I like my breakfasts with steamed greens.
These are only a couple of ideas to get you started with breakfast grains.
QUICK TIP: For people up and out of the house early in the a.m., measure your grain out at night, put it (dry) in a pan on the stove top, covered, ready to add water (or non-dairy milk) to it in the morning.
Since I eat veggies, usually steamed greens at breakfast, I do the same (in another pot) with those. Ready to go and turn on!
The Bottom line: Don't get overwhelmed! Just start one thing this week -- it could be oatmeal. Some people transitioning to a plant-based way of eating want me to recommend some kind of cold cereals that are processed. I recommend the Erehwon Brown Rice Crispies (the original), sweetened with a small amount of brown rice syrup. These are ok once in a while, but try one of the others, too, even if it's just oatmeal.
Amaranth With Apricots
1 1/2-2 cups water
1/2 cup amaranth
pinch sea salt
1 to 2 apricots
Combine water, amaranth and salt in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Stir in apricots. Serves 2.
Creamy Polenta Porridge
3-4 cups water
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Place water in pot and bring to a boil on high. When water boils, slowly add the cornmeal, stirring quickly to dissolve any lumps.
Reduce heat to low and simmer. The cornmeal will start to thicken in a few minutes. Add the salt and simmer five more minutes, stirring occasionally. If you want it a little creamier, add a little more water and stir as needed.
Serve immediately as a breakfast porridge. Serves 3.
What are you eating for breakfast? Any questions? Ideas of your own? Please add your comments below in my Huffington Post comments section.
Interested in learning how to take the steps towards a healthy plant-based way of eating with a healthy spring detox? Why not join the many others who are making this life-affirming choice!
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